Introduction
Lyme disease has been the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United States since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started reporting it in 1991 [1]. It should be noted that Lyme disease does not occur everywhere in the US, and is heavily concentrated in upper Midwest and northeast United States [1]. This report has been compiled to provide recommendations for antimicrobial prophylactic treatment of Lyme disease once a patient encounters a tick bite.
Lyme disease is a multisystem inflammatory disorder caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted by Ixodes dammini. [3]. I. dammini is commonly known as and referred to as the deer tick. Lyme disease can affect many organ systems
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burgdorferi and Lyme disease cannot be acquired.
Throughout the last decade the prevention of Lyme disease has been very controversial. Serological testing, vaccines, and antimicrobial therapy are highly researched areas, but only antimicrobial therapy has been proven useful for the prevention of Lyme disease. Serologic testing has not been proven to be effective in identifying B. burgdorferi and is not recommended. There are little to no antibodies present when a tick bite is encountered, thus serological testing will be negative. Any positive serological testing is highly probable for a false-positive, or the patient has had been bit prior to this encounter and already has Lyme disease [22]. Although a vaccine does exist, its cost and multiple doses needed to achieve immunity have limited its acceptability by the medical community [20, 21]. Antimicrobial therapy has been at the forefront of research in trying to identify if prophylactic treatment is necessary, what drug is most successful, and what dosing is most appropriate.
Antimicrobial Prophylaxis
In 1992 Shapiro et al. published their research informing providers prophylactic antimicrobial treatment is not routinely indicated [2] There were a total of 387 patients in the controlled trial, 203 patients assigned to receive amoxicillin and 182 were given a placebo [2]. Either 250mg of amoxicillin or a placebo was given to subjects three times a day for ten days. 15 subjects dropped out and 7
Prevention of Lyme disease lies in avoiding contact with ticks and removing ticks that attach to the skin. Avoiding grassy and woody areas is one way. Dressing defensively to cover up the skin available for the tick to attach is another way prevents the disease. Using repellants on exposed skin or checking for ticks regularly are other methods.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or more commonly, MRSA, is an emerging infectious disease affecting many people worldwide. MRSA, in particular, is a very interesting disease because although many people can be carriers of it, it generally only affects those with a depressed immune system; this is why it is so prevalent in places like nursing homes and hospitals. It can be spread though surgeries, artificial joints, tubing, and skin-to-skin contact. Although there is not one specific treatment of this disease, there are ways to test what antibiotics work best and sometimes antibiotics aren’t even necessary.
Antibiotics, composed of microorganisms such as streptomycin and penicillin, kill other infectious microorganisms in the human body. At one point, antibiotics were considered to have “basically wiped out infection in the United States”, but due to their overuse and evolutionary
Fleming in 1928. Penicillin helped to treat some common infections: step throat, boils, it would heal wounds quicker, as well as treat more serious infections such as meningitis and pneumonia. Antibiotics usually kill only weak bacteria and after some years of antibiotic usage stronger bacteria have not only survived but also became resistant to the old cure. “Doctors have started to prescribe antibiotics to cure conditions such as ear infections, sinusitis, bronchitis, non-specific upper respiratory tract infections and even common colds and flu… According to the Director of Antimicrobial Resistance, Dr. Richard Besser, each year US physicians write $50 million worth of prescriptions that are ineffectual and unnecessary.” (Elisa Bussey). The more doctors were prescribing antibiotics, the bigger the number of people who become resistant to them. Most of the European countries prescribe antibiotics to kill bacteria only in cases of life threatening conditions. Patients in the US have become accustomed to receiving antibiotics for almost any health concerns and with time, patients have started to expect such prescriptions as a norm.
Lyme disease is an infection produced by bacteria called Borrelia Burgdorferi. This bacteria or germ is ordinarily found in shrews, deer, mice, and squirrels. Ixodes bugs, normally called deer ticks, often feed on the blood from an infected animal. When this happens, the tick then becomes a carrier of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease and can infect you with this germ through your skin. Infected deer ticks are normally found in the northeast and upper Midwest United States because of the climate and humidity levels, and become more active in the late spring and early summer months after the birth of new larvae. Lyme disease is known to cause a skin rash called erythema migrans and can leave you problems with your joints, brain, heart, and nerves. The
First, one uses tweezer and grasps the tick as close to the skin as possible. Second, pull upward and make sure the entire tick is removed including the mouth part. Third, thoroughly clean the bitten area with rubbing alcohol. If a rash develops after a few days, seek medical help for proper diagnoses. Patients are treated with antibiotics. The three presenters listed that they orally took doxycycline and amoxicillin. The first question one should ask themselves when finding a tick is how long the tick has been attached since a person is not treated with antibiotics if it has not been attached for more than three days. In order to prevent lyme disease, one must be aware of his or her surroundings. When spending time outdoors, cover exposed skin by wearing light-colored, long pants, sleeves, and socks. One must use insect spray if spending a long time in high grass, leaves, or bushes. Also, always check pets for ticks when they come inside the home. If a tick is found attached to your clothes, place the clothes in the dryer for an
In the US, the illness is the most prevalent of all tick-borne infections. The disease has been termed in New York, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Maryland an endemic infection. As of 2009, provides the most useful data regarding the infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded an approximation of confirmed Lyme disease cases ranging up to 30,000 new cases. The basic complication of Lyme disease possesses
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. The disease was first discovered in 1975 after a group of children were suffering from rheumatoid arthritis like disease. One similarity the children had was playing in wooded areas during the summer in the area of Lyme, Connecticut. However, the bacteria was not isolated until late 1981 by Dr. Willy Burgdorfer. Lyme disease has become an important public health problem in the Midwest and Eastern United States with incidence rates steadily increasing.
Lyme disease begins with a bite from an infected tick. It is the most common tick-borne disease within the United States (Wadsworth Center, n.d.). The causative agent of Lyme disease is Borrelia burgdorferi. This pathogen is a spirochete with endoflagella, an outer membrane with LPS-like substance, an inner membrane and a periplasmic space which contains a layer of peptidoglycan (Tilly, Rosa, Stewart, 2009).
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is typically spread by ticks or most commonly known as deer ticks. It's estimated that over 300,000 people are diagnosed with lyme disease every year. Lyme disease is easily misdiagnosed because its symptoms are closely related to other conditions. This disease could affect any part of the body , like the brain , nervous system , muscle and joints and the heart. Lyme disease can commonly mistaken for a number of other diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome , fibromyalgia , multiple sclerosis , and various other ones. Signs of early lyme disease feel like the flu and have the same symptoms.
Many people look forward to the spring and summer months because they get to go back out into nature. Swimming, hiking, and fishing are just some of the outdoor activities that many people enjoy this time of year. Unfortunately when the weather warms, the deer ticks come out and with them come Lyme disease.
This method is irrespective of the stage of the infection. Current research suggests that a single course of antibiotics can be insufficient, especially if Lyme disease has been prevalent for several months (Magnotta, 2015).
Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrellia burgdorferi, and it is the most common vector borne illness in the United States (CDC, 2014). Lyme disease is transmitted by the blacklegged ticks and they live on animals like dogs and cats, around stone walls and wood piles. These ticks also live in wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. These ticks hold onto leaves and grasses by their lower legs, where they get picked up by a passing host and that is one of the ways through which they make their way to the human body.
Lyme Disease is caused by a bite from a deer tick. Sometimes the bite causes a “bullseye” rash which is a red center with a red ring around it, but a lot of people do not know they have been bitten. If the bite is noticed within the first two weeks it can be treated successfully, but if not the victim can become seriously ill for years. My experience with Lyme Disease is not very joyful or loving.
Individuals can purchase a tick insect repellent. Many of the repellents are color and odorless. Ticks carry diseases so, it is important